Justin Timberlake Sets Radio Airplay Records With ‘Suit & Tie’

Clearly fans were ready for Justin Timberlake’s musical return. A week after the singer-turned-actor-and-then-singer-again dropped his first new tune in more than six years, “Suit & Tie,”
the song has set some personal and professional records for JT.

“Tie” blew past Timberlake’s previous best first digital sales week,
moving 310,087 copies, besting his previous personal record holder, the genre-busting “SexyBack,” which moved 250,000 copies back in 2006.

[ video unavailable on this device ]

According to his label, despite a sneak-attack release
the song also reached #1 on iTunes singles charts in 31 countries, including the U.S., England, Canada, Sweden, France and Brazil. Internationally, the song with the Jay-Z cameo made it into the top 10 on the iTunes singles charts in 54 countries.

It also reportedly broke U.S. radio airplay records by earning the biggest song debut, airplay increase and audience increase for a solo artist ever while landing at #14 on the Billboard Top 40 Airplay chart. The song was a success across a number of radio formats, picking up adds at Top 40, Urban, Rhythm Crossover and Hot AC at 214 radio stations across the country.

“Tie,” which is currently available as an iTunes exclusive, is the first single from Timberlake’s as-yet-unscheduled third album, The 20/20 Experience. In addition to marking his return to music, the song also helped Timberlake the entrepreneur hype the long-awaited relaunch of Myspace,
where he is an investor. The tune was used front-and-center last week to help announce the reboot of the once-dominant social networking site.